Work Text:
The good part of me
Harry blinked slowly. The place he found himself in was unfamiliar. A few strange pillars surrounded him, covered by green looking plants Harry had never seen before. Another odd thing was that it felt like he was floating, his feet didn't touch the sandy ground underneath him.
Was he under water? Why then could he breathe?
Harry saw a hand, his hand reaching out without his permission. It lightly caressed one of the nearby pillars, the pillar was cold against the tips of his hand. A deep voice sounded from within him, the tone soft and yet angry at the same time.
'I hate the water, to live here is a curse. A curse I cannot escape. A fate I've grown to loathe. A fate worse than death because I can never be free again.'
The words echoed into his brain and reached into his soul and heart.
Tears streamed down his face, washed away by the water and an ache settled deep in his chest.
'Won't you ease my pain?' The male voice questioned in a soft and yet hopeful tone. 'Will you set me free?'
Harry wanted to embrace him, tell him that everything would be alright and he would make sure the horrible pain disappeared. He remembered his own fear during swimming lessons and the moment when his parents gave up and told him to stay away from water. He would start screaming and crying whenever he went near water.
Earlier that day he had held tight while the boat rocked over the Black Lake and he was unable to appreciate the beauty of the castle until he entered it and his feet once again touched the ground. He did not have the courage to tell anyone he was scared of water, afraid of being laughed at for his stupid fear.
It created a connection to the voice he heard. One who loathed water and one who feared it. Harry wanted to help him.
Instead he woke up with a gasp, sweat covering his shaking body and dried tears clinging to his cheeks. The realisation hit him fast that he had just had a soulmate dream during his first night at Hogwarts.
They said the dreams would start when your soulmate had been near you. You did not necessarily have to see each other, close proximity was enough for the soulmate link to strengthen and the dreams to begin.
After that first soulmate dream, Harry never had another one and yet he searched everywhere for his soulmate. But even years later he had no clue as to who it could be. All he knew was: his soulmate hated his fate, loathed water and suffered a lot.
Harry never told his parents about the dream. What if they would not like his soulmate? What if because his soulmate had sounded so distressed they would keep him away from him?
All those fears made sure he never shared his soulmate dream with his parents.
Besides, Harry did not receive any other dreams; he eventually started to believe he had a fake soulmate dream. Those things could happen, after all. Dreams could not always be trusted.
For one year he searched for his soulmate or clues to who it could be. His second year at Hogwarts he lost faith that it had been a real soulmate dream.
It all changed when he received his first lesson of Care of Magical Creatures during his third year. Something triggered in the back of his mind and his gaze wandered to the Black Lake. Of course he had known of the existence of several sea creatures, but never once had he considered that perhaps his soulmate was not human.
The next dream happened shortly after Harry had wandered around the lake on his free day, proving that his soulmate was somewhere in there and not inside the castle.
Once again he was under water, swimming easily through seaweeds and other plants Harry did not recognise.
'Ancient magic… They saved my life with it, but cursed me at the same time. I feel so alone. Water all around me, everywhere and always.'
Suddenly his body froze, a strong light blinded him. A scream sounded and he lost the ability to breathe. Water filled his lungs and weakly he thrashed. He needed fresh air but all he got was another gulp of murky water.
Harry’s eyes snapped open with a scream. He gasped and closed his eyes tightly, turning to his side he curled up and silently cried.
He could still feel an echo of the pain and fear from his dream. For a long while he had not been able to breathe and now he laid there gasping in breaths and couldn't help but feel intense relief. The dreams sometimes were memories of your soulmates and Harry wondered what had happened to his soulmate.
Had his soulmate drowned? No, he said they saved his life, but cursed him at the same time. Harry only ended up with more questions after his second soulmate dream.
Was it possible that his soulmate lived there in these deep, dark waters? The dreams said, yes.
Still Harry did not know for certain. One thing he knew and that was that he felt an odd connection growing to the lake. He wanted to go near it more often and found it relaxing and comforting to sit for hours near an old willow tree.
Meanwhile he wondered if creatures could even have soulmates and started to research and read up about the possibility of creatures having soulmates. He found nothing and ended up asking his friend Hermione, who was a walking encyclopedia at times. She said that it was unheard of. Soulmates were always humans, it was debatable if creatures even had a soul.
Harry couldn't help but think he would be weird if his soulmate turned out to be a creature. It was impossible, after all. That raised the same question Hermione had: did creatures even have a soul to begin with?
Yes, in Harry’s opinion all animals and creatures had a soul because they were breathing and living. So the dreams could be real and true.
Though the dreams had been strangely absent, despite him hanging out near the lake often. A shudder went through him at the mere thought that his soulmate died and might not be alive at all. That the lingering presence of his soulmate had started the dreams, but they would be fake.
That Harry would never meet his soulmate.
No, that didn't feel right. His soulmate was alive. For some odd reason Harry could feel it as his gaze swept over the still waters of the lake as he wondered what to do about it. As he wondered why the dreams had stopped.
"You filthy Mudblood." A female laughed and others laughed with her, their faces blurry, just like all the surroundings. Harry gritted his teeth and cast his gaze down. They would pay, he thought. They stopped bothering him as he didn't react and continued his homework.
Even the textbook and words in front of him were unreadable. There was only one thing which stood out on the table in front of him. A small, black leather book. Harry caressed his hand over it before quickly placing it in his bag.
Harry woke up slowly and disorientated. Wasn't he doing homework? No, that had been a dream. Harry’s eyes opened fully and he stared at the blurry, red canopy around him. Had that been another soulmate dream? A female had called him a Mudblood. So, his soulmate was Muggleborn?
Harry wanted to ask his soulmate all those questions. He knew one thing for sure now. His soulmate had effectively stopped the dreams for some time.
Harry had read about it. That if a soulmate used Occlumency, or was a particularly strong Occlumens in general, the dreams could stop. It would keep the other one out, but it only worked one way.
Harry had never shut his soulmate out. So for the last year or so his soulmate had received dreams about and from him.
Why then had his soulmate dropped the barriers now?
Harry wondered if he could jump in the lake and swim to his soulmate, if he could reach him somehow and actually talk to him. He found ways to breathe underwater; Gillyweed, a Bubble-head Charm, or some form of transfiguration which created gills.
But before he could make up his mind he had another dream.
He was in a cave, shivering slightly. Arms wrapped tightly around him and lower body, which was a red fin, moved up and down slowly.
'It is cold, always so damn cold. It reminds me of those horrible winter nights in the Orphanage. But at least back then I had a thin, woolen blanket. It kept me warm. Now I'm always freezing.'
Harry too shivered when he woke up and the blankets on top of him couldn't chase away the chill in his body and soul.
Harry wanted to throw his arms around his soulmate, warm him up somehow. Instead he closed his eyes tightly, shivering and crying silently and wrapping his arms around himself. Exactly as his soulmate had done.
What did his soulmate think of him? What were the other’s dreams like and two nights later he got his answer in another dream
'I can feel you. Your warmth when you are near. You are like the sun, a warm summer's day. I want to embrace you. I never want to let you go. It scares me how badly I want to feel your warm body against mine.'
Harry vowed that day to find his soulmate, no matter what.
One night when he couldn't sleep, Harry grabbed his invisibility and quietly exited the dorm. The map from his father and friends in hand, he easily avoided all prefects and professors patrolling the halls.
It was not the first time he slipped out, but definitely the first time he wandered outside during the night. He knew the way to the lake by now, and could probably find it blindfolded, so often he went there lately.
When he neared the place where he always sat, he froze. Someone was there. Harry could see a dark figure, sitting against the willow tree.
Harry blinked and carefully moved closer. The darkness of the night and his invisibility cloak hiding him from sight.
Upon closer inspection Harry saw it had a fin. The large red fin, which started on the man's lower regions and the end which the creature splashed into the water mindlessly, creating ripples on the normally still water.
Harry stood there staring at the merman, unable to tear his gaze away from him and silently observing every little detail. A naked, slim chest and his skin very pale. Curvy, dark hair which reached the creature's shoulders. Harry could not see more, but felt drawn to him anyway.
Mermans were exceptionally rare, in comparison to Sirens and Mermaids and other sea creatures. Harry had often heard of a merman existing in this very lake and always wanted to meet him, to talk to him and find out if the dreams were linked to him.
But still few had ever seen him, so Harry thought he might never meet him. Yet there he was, sitting in Harry’s usual place as if he belonged there.
Harry shifted and froze when the merman's gaze swiftly looked up in his direction and the large fin stopped moving.
He jumped when a voice behind him spoke and barely held back his shocked yelp. "Tom."
Harry held his breath and turned to face the headmaster who stood near him. For one second Harry believed that Dumbledore's eyes stared straight at him before looking at the merman, but that could not be. He still wore his invisibility cloak.
Harry knew there was no way the creature or the headmaster could see him, but still his heart beat rapidly inside his chest while he stood in between them and felt the rising tension.
"How are you this fine night, my boy?" Dumbledore asked.
"Splendidly." The merman replied with a disdain filled look and Harry’s eyes went wide at the familiar voice. This Merman, this Tom, was his soulmate. Harry stared at the pale face, noticing dark eyes glaring at the headmaster. There was no denying that voice and his dreams were linked to Tom.
Dumbledore let out a soft hum and started to speak, but Tom interrupted him. "Do not start another lecture, do not bother, Dumbledore. I'm not in the mood."
"You never are," the headmaster said with a deep sigh. "Your mood got even worse lately from what I've heard from the others. Is something bothering you?"
"Nothing." Tom replied without hesitation.
"You should leave him alone, you know." Dumbledore muttered and Harry saw Tom stiffen, nostrils flaring.
"What do you know!? You never had a soulmate." Tom snapped.
Harry turned to look at Dumbledore, eyes wide at the outburst and accusation. But also this proved that Tom had soulmate dreams as well.
The silence stretched on until Dumbledore quietly admitted. "I did have one. It didn't end well. I wouldn't want you or your soulmate to suffer. There is no way you can ever be together."
Tom pursed his lips and turned his gaze up at the night sky, clearly dismissing the headmaster. Harry wanted to move closer, to talk to Tom and find out if they were linked together by fate. But Dumbledore spoke again and he lost his opportunity.
"Tom." Dumbledore called out and a furious, loud noise, which made Harry raise his hands to his ears, came from the merman and a splash sounded a second later which Harry could barely hear above the ringing, but he did see it.
Tom twisted his body and jumped head on into the water, disappearing from his view.
'A fate worse than death. I hate the water.'
Harry silently thought back to the very first words he heard from his soulmate and once again couldn't help but wonder what had happened.
"I should take housepoints, but I know how compelling a soulmate bond is," Dumbledore said and Harry’s body went stiff. Slowly he faced the headmaster and saw those blue twinkling eyes looking at him.
Harry subtly checked that his cloak still covered him and frowned because he should be invisible. And yet, Dumbledore could see him. "Follow me, Mr. Potter."
Harry swallowed and cast one last glance at the lake and then quietly followed the headmaster back into the castle. He considered slipping away, but Dumbledore had seen him and called him by name, so it would be stupid and foolish. Reluctantly Harry followed him, his gaze often flickering to the Black Lake till the moment he lost sight of it when they entered the castle.
They went into a hidden room behind a gargoyle on the second floor and Harry looked around in the round office. The headmasters office. On the walls were portraits of previous headmasters and Harry saw how Dumbledore waved his wand around, all of them freezing. "I wouldn't want to disturb their rest." The headmaster explained while Harry removed his cloak.
"Sir, that merman. What happened to him?" Harry asked. Thinking he was already in trouble he wanted to find out what he could.
Dumbledore sighed and carded a hand down his long beard. When he gestured Harry to sit, he took his own seat behind the desk.
"Tom was once a student here. A brilliant young boy. I do not know what exactly happened that night. All I know was that one night the whole lake was blinded with a bright white light and we learned that Tom had nearly drowned and some ancient magic saved him."
"Saved him…" Harry repeated. "It turned him into a Merman."
"Not a Merman, Harry. Never believe his lies. Tom got turned into what we call an Adaro. What you saw tonight was what he wanted you to see. His real appearance is not as pretty." Dumbledore warned him.
"An Adaro?" Harry muttered. He had not heard of the creature before.
"An incredibly rare sea creature with a sickly gray and white skin, bald and dark eyes. They look merman-like, or the stronger ones like Tom, can even appear like a full merman. But looks can be so deceiving, Harry. Please promise me you will not seek him out again. I know I'm asking a lot, but it is dangerous. An Adaro is a very malevolent creature. There is not an ounce of good in them."
Harry could not make the promise. Not even after learning this. Dumbledore seemed disappointed when Harry remained silent. Perhaps he knew that all Harry could think about was that he needed to talk to Tom.
Still when Harry fell asleep that night, Dumbledore's words played on repeat in his mind. What if the headmaster was right? What if there was no good in Tom?
'There is no good or evil. You've seen me. You've felt me. I wonder… would you run away when you face the real me?'
A gray hand and arm appeared in his view. And looking further down Harry noticed a large fin with the same colour. It was so different from the vibrant red fin Tom had worn before.
'You are my Aunga. My bonded. You will not abandon me, will you? Please don't leave me.' The voice nearly pleaded and Harry's chest ached with the uncomfortable sensation his soulmate allowed him to feel.
Harry woke up, drenched in sweat and trembling. His heart beat fast in his chest and quietly he curled up, placing one hand on his chest as he tried to calm down his rapidly beating heart.
He didn't hesitate to answer Tom's question, even if no one heard. That night Harry made a promise. A promise he would never abandon Tom.
The next night Harry made his way back to the Black Lake, after making sure that Dumbledore was asleep in his rooms.
Tom sat there, at the same place and stared at the clouded night sky.
"Tom?" Harry whispered his name, heart thudding in his chest when the creature reacted instantly. Tom swifted, wide eyes staring at him while Harry removed the cloak and revealed himself.
"Harry." Tom breathed and Harry could hear the tone of disbelief and shock. Harry didn't waste any time and quickly moved closer. Tom spread his arms and Harry eagerly accepted the tight hug, wrapping his arms tightly around the cold body of the sea creature.
Trembling lips placed a chaste kiss on top of his head and Harry could not tell who was shaking more.
Tom’s grip tightened. "I should kill you."
Harry should be terrified after that admission, but when Tom sagged in his hold, head buried deep against his shoulder, fear was the least thing he felt.
"You are my soulmate." Harry breathed. This creature, whatever Tom was, was his soulmate. Everything felt right now that he held Tom and he too never wanted to let go.
"You are mine. My soulmate, my own." Tom whispered and Harry shivered when a cold hand touched the back of his neck.
"What are you?" Harry wondered out loud and broke the comfortable silence.
"I'm yours. The darkness to your light. Just as you are the light to my darkness." Tom replied. And Harry stared into those dark eyes when he pulled his head back and his eyes darted over Tom’s features.
He placed a hand against Tom’s cheek in wonder. A sense of rightness washed over him.
Harry had found him. The dreams would stop now that they had touched. Harry only realised he was crying when Tom’s thumbs wiped the tears away.
He didn't even know why he cried, but the tears kept coming and Harry could not stop them. It was like coming home and the warmth in him made him never want to leave Tom’s side.
Tom’s gaze was on him and hungry all the time. They did not speak that night, just basking in the other’s presence and finally feeling whole again.
"What is an Adaro? And you called me your Aunga before. What does that mean?" Harry asked Tom one night.
Tom didn't look at him, dark eyes fixed on the clouded night sky. "It is going to storm soon." Tom muttered and Harry frowned, following the merman's gaze.
Yes, there were dark clouds in the sky and the wind swept over the still waters of the lake in front of them, while it howled through the Forbidden Forest behind them. Still, Harry couldn't help but notice Tom had not answered his questions.
"What I am does not change the fact we belong together, Harry." Tom said in a soft voice while he pulled him closer. Harry let him, cuddling into the side of his soulmate. Tom’s hand carded through his hair and Harry’s eyes slipped closed a bit when Tom hummed softly.
Perhaps Tom was right. It did not matter what Tom was. They were soulmates and nothing else mattered.
'I'm yours. The darkness to your light.'
Harry could not resist the pull. He wanted to go there every night in hopes of meeting with Tom again. And when he was near him, he did not want to leave.
He did go there every other night and drowned in the feeling of finally being complete, of having found his other half.
It was short-lived, however. The nights he visited Tom and remained awake for hours were taking its toll and Harry never wanted to fall asleep when he met with Tom. He wanted to savour those brief moments, but tiredness lulled him to sleep one night.
He kept dozing off, eyes slipping closed and head dropping down before he caught himself and forced his body to stay awake. Tom sat firmly at his side, their backs against the tree, one arm around him. "You can go to sleep, Harry. I'll still be here. I'll wake you up in time."
"I'm not tired." Harry mumbled and Tom chuckled softly, tugging him closer and carefully laying his head down on the merman's lap.
A hand carded through his hair and Harry snuggled closer to the cold body, shivering slightly as the hand moved down his back. A deep sigh left him and his body relaxed even more.
"Sleep." Tom whispered and after weeks of not getting enough sleep Harry could not fight the command.
He fell asleep on Tom’s lap and woke up, gasping and screaming and underwater.
"Drowning is a horrible way to go." Tom muttered in the silence of the night. The horrible memories lingered in his mind, as they always did.
"Something has to be sacrificed to achieve something." Tom let out a soft hum as he stared down at the young teen sleeping so peacefully on his lap.
Harry trusted him so easily and not even Dumbledore could stop the boy from seeking him out. Tom didn't even do anything, except whisper a few right words and Harry so eagerly and willingly fell into his hands.
It was ironic, because a soulmate bond was sacred. What Harry and Dumbledore did not know was that this was not a real one. It was but a weak imitation of a soulmate bound, twisted and ugly. The exact opposite of sacred.
The horrible truth was that Harry James Potter was nothing but a piece of his soul, finding its way back to him. Harry held in him the good parts, the kindness and light. Everything Tom had always refused to feel, and that part that he had lost that night. An intense need had surged up in him when this young child travelled over the Black Lake to Hogwarts. A need to end him, to drown him.
It would have been easy. He just needed to topple the boat and pull him under water. An 11-year old could certainly not escape his grasp and the others would not be able to reach him and the child if he went down to the bottom. The merpeople might put up a fight, but he could easily handle them.
There was no need to keep him, or for the boy to be alive. Harry served no purpose. But something stopped him. Because Harry could be used for something, after all. Harry was the only one who could restore him to his human shelf.
Tom had not counted on the horrible dreams and feelings he would open himself up too and after the first one he effectively shut Harry out.
Still, the memory of it remained. The sound of Harry’s laughter, happy and carefree. His warmth which was almost scalding to him and his voice so childlike and full of promise and potential.
Harry had everything Tom never got and Tom loathed him even more.
But he could change that. He could take everything from Harry. And Harry’s pure and naive soul would give him everything.
'Where are you? You need me. I feel you. You are so cold. Please let me in and help you.'
Tom grimaced at words that replayed in his mind. He never needed anyone and certainly not someone who would blind him with his light.
Tom shifted and pulled Harry tighter against his body. The boy didn't react other than snuggling even closer against him.
Tom scowled and let the glamour fade from his body, revealing his true nature and appearance. His pretty face faded away, revealing a bald head, his ears became small and sharp fins, his eyes all back except for a small slit of red which was his pupil. His pale skin slowly turned sickly gray and his bright red fin turned white.
He looked like a monster. Like one of those demons the nuns always warned them about. It made him laugh once upon a time. He turned out to be the monster they accused him of.
Tom tilted Harry’s sleeping face up and traced his sharp nails over the soft plump lips, feeling the warm breath against his cold skin. Because who could damn such a beautiful creature filled with purity and light? Only a true monster could destroy him.
Once Harry had served his purpose Tom would gladly end his miserable life.
And yet as he sat there, staring at the serene face and feeling that soft breath on his fingertips Tom could not help but think back to that night they had been shattered.
He still did not know what kind of magic had saved him that night. But he knew it had also nearly destroyed him.
Once upon a time Tom had craved vengeance upon his dorm mates, who had thrown him into the lake, unaware that Tom had never learned how to swim. He ended up drowning, their laughs fading and becoming screams which sounded muted as Tom lost the fight to keep his head above the water.
A part of him had died that night and he had been reborn.
The endless laughter of his dorm mates enraged him as he thrashed and screamed. Even years later he could still hear them. They did not care about him, the Mudblood who tainted their precious Pureblood House. It would not surprise him that some might even felt happy when they heard he had died, or almost died. Tom never mentioned any of their names, never revealed what had happened that night when he spoke with the professors and headmaster. He lied and said he had no idea what had happened.
They had not known the consequences of their actions. But not one of them was willing to jump in the ice cold lake in the middle of the night to save him.
Even the creatures only stared at him but did nothing to save him while he floated down to the bottom of the lake.
Alphard Black later admitted it was supposed to be a joke and he was sorry. Tom had brushed him off because sorry meant nothing. If he still had legs he would hunt them all down and kill them.
But he could not leave the lake and lived a horrible life for years, stuck in these waters. He lived off fishes and plants and avoided the other Merpeople. In the beginning he had not been able to quite hide his new form. He had not needed to, because he liked it. It instilled fear in the others, even the humans had not dared to look him in the eye.
Dumbledore was correct in his assumption that he was not a merman. Whatever or whoever had saved him that night made him an Adaro. They carved out the good part and only the bad parts remained.
The good part died.
And for years Tom waited for its return, not knowing if it would ever return. Tom cradled Harry to his chest and waved one hand over the sleeping boy's face, creating a bubble of air around Harry’s head. "It is time to be freed." Tom said and a gleeful grin formed on his lips.
He shifted Harry’s body and dove into the water with the good part of his soul in his arms. All the way down he went, to the place where he had once lost his life.
The ancient magic still lingered there and it lit up with his approach. Harry’s green eyes snapped open and his mouth opened wide in a soundless scream.
Tom gritted his teeth and held the struggling boy tight, moving them closer to the blinding light.
The pain was all consuming when he entered the ball of light. He screamed just as loudly as Harry did. When the light slowly faded, he noticed Harry shaking a lot and could feel tremors wracking through his own body. For one second Tom feared it had failed, because he was still breathing fine.
But the next inhale he gasped as water swiftly entered his lungs and he suffocated. He needed air and needed it fast. With a wave of his hand he created a bubble of air around his head, coughing violently. After a few seconds of breathing in and out deeply he visibly relaxed and the panic of drowning disappeared again. He was immensely relieved he had mastered his magic.
Feeling an odd tingling in his fin, Tom forced his eyes open and stared at it. Magic circled all around it and Tom's wide eyes watched while his fin transformed back into two legs. The skin was deathly pale as it had been for years. He would probably never look human again, but he had two legs. Once again he would be able to walk on the land and a giddy feeling rose in him.
Tom's head shot up at the sudden screeching sound in front of him. Harry’s eyes were wide and only now did Tom realise that Harry had lost his glasses somewhere.
He watched intrigued as magic swirled around Harry’s legs and a beautiful large green fin formed as the boy's clothes disintegrated.
The boy, or merman now, was shaking thoroughly and Tom swam forwards when he saw Harry’s eyes roll back. He easily caught him when Harry lost consciousness and started to float down to the ground.
Even now Harry was pretty. Tom touched his cheek gently, silently admiring the limp body which housed the good part of him.
Blinking down at him, Tom knew the best option would be to end Harry’s life. His hand moved down, stopping on Harry’s chest and feeling the steady heartbeat underneath it.
Its beats were in sync with his heart and Tom noticed his hand trembled. He found that he could not kill Harry. This precious soul that had restored him to his human self would be his only weakness and he could not allow that.
And despite knowing that Tom was unable to end Harry’s life. He lowered his hand and gently touched the scales on Harry’s lower body in thought.
"I can keep you…" Tom whispered. He could take the merman with him, build a beautiful aquarium for his soul and pet. He would ensure that no one would ever find out that Harry was in his possession, that no one ever laid eyes upon his treasure.
Harry would be safe with him. And in time Tom could make him happy. After all, many years ago their souls had been one.
A soulmate. The other half of your soul, the one who completes you. Harry had grown up hearing those romantic and awesome stories about the one. The one who was perfect for you.
When he found out that he had in fact a soulmate, he had been ecstatic. Because even nowadays it was rare to have a true soulmate, to have dreams and to actually meet them.
Some would never meet in their lifetime.
Harry wondered what his life would have been like had he not crossed the lake that day. If he had ignored the dreams or even ended up believing they were fake and he would have never sought out Tom.
He would have never faced the horrible twisted reality he found himself in now.
Harry stared at Tom, who now preferred to be called Lord Voldemort, and couldn't help but think this man was a monster.
Dumbledore had been right, but Harry had not listened and had been blinded by the idea of having a soulmate. He had fallen into the trap Tom had created so easily.
If he was Tom’s light then Tom was his darkness and that darkness had swallowed him whole without him noticing it until it was too late. Harry gritted his teeth, swinging his fin erratically as he narrowed his eyes at the one who caused his suffering.
The one who had become his jailer and owned him in every way. Tom sat on the couch, book in hand and unbothered by Harry’s silence and furious presence.
There was not an ounce of humanity left in Tom. Tom’s eyes were red and slitted, his head bald, nose missing and his body unnaturally white.
Harry struggled against the ropes tying his arms at his back and desperately tried to slam his fin against the glass of his aquarium. He could not reach it and his mouth opened wide in a soundless scream of anger.
Something must have caught Tom’s attention because Harry saw him lower his book and those red eyes fixed on him.
Tom snorted and shook his head, a grin slowly forming on that lipless mouth. "Such a needy little thing you are, Harry. Do you really expect me to play with you 24/7?"
Harry wanted to scream and curse, but no matter how hard he tried he could not break whatever silencing spell Tom had put on him.
Harry went stiff when Tom got up, placing his book on the table and walked over to him. Tom touched the glass and Harry wished he could move away, but the ropes held him firmly in place.
"You poor thing." Tom laughed. "I've had years of harnessing my powers, my magic. There is no way you can ever break the spells I've placed on you. Though, I'd like to see you try."
Tom’s grin widened and Harry tensed when the man's hand moved through the glass, and the ropes pulled him closer to Tom. Those cold fingers touched the mark branded on his chest, a snake coming out of the mouth from a skull.
It tingled pleasantly as it always did when its creator touched it. Harry shivered and closed his eyes firmly. "My beautiful light." Tom whispered and it was said in such a soft tone that Harry could almost mistake it for love, for admiration. That perhaps Tom loved him.
But it was a lie. Harry forced his eyes open and saw no love, no light in those red slitted eyes.
Tom would never know love. And Harry did not know if he had it in him to love such an evil person. This was not a real soulmate bond.
Tom laughed and Harry belatedly realised that Tom read his mind again.
"Oh, Harry. You already love me and you always will. Otherwise the spell would not have worked. You love me and would have sacrificed everything to make me happy, and you did."
Harry shook his head in denial, but it only made Tom laugh louder. "If you did not love me, you would not have been able to take my place, Harry. That fin," Tom moved his hand to Harry’s waist and Harry tried batting Tom’s hand away with said fin. Tom easily caught it and held it tight, grinning viciously. "This fin is proof of your love for me."
Harry struggled uselessly and could not escape when Tom pulled him down even more. The ropes bending to Tom’s will and bringing him closer to the glass, the small thing which separated them.
But even the glass was not enough because Tom manipulated it so that Harry’s body went through it and he floated in mid-air while Tom grasped his chin and placed a kiss on the burning mark on his chest.
"This mark is a sign that you are mine." Tom muttered. "That you always will be mine."
Harry’s face flushed as Tom's thin lips and tongue teased every part of the mark, warmth flowing through him in waves despite his body being cold and wet.
He felt cared for and knew something was terribly wrong. This should not feel so right. He was a captive and did not want to be here. But with every kiss and nip his thoughts became cloudier, consumed by the terrible need to have Tom always near him.
Harry could no longer remember why he should be fighting this and when Tom's lips pressed against his, he moaned and deepened the kiss eagerly. Harry did not know the mark on his chest was rewriting his thoughts and feelings. That for as long as long as he carried that mark, he would be forever submissive and craving Tom’s touch.
That mark that Tom once said was permanent, slowly sealed away his desire to flee and fight Tom. It whispered to him, in the back of his mind and told him that there was no need to fight. Tom was here and Tom was his soulmate. He could let go and be happy.
His mind and body easily bended to Tom’s touches and will. And later once Tom’s hands no longer touched him, Harry cried and screamed in agony, hidden in the farthest corner of his aquarium. Even then knowing he could never escape Tom. His tears mixed with the water around him, just like the first soulmate dream he once had and another loud sob escaped him at that thought.